Barnsley: Pitch playable but safety concerns rule out Reds game

Barnsley's Championship clash with Norwich City has fallen foul to the weather.
Jose MoraisJose Morais
Jose Morais

The ‘Beast from the East’ has gripped the UK in recent days, with the club announcing yesterday lunch-time that today’s game has been postponed due to safety concerns.

Oakwell has under-soil heating, but the surrounding areas caused concerns.

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A Reds statement read: “The club is sorry to announce that the game this weekend has fallen victim to the weather.

“The surrounding areas of Oakwell, including the roads, footpaths, car-parks and potential travel routes have been deemed unsafe for members of the public to be using.

“This decision has been taken at the earliest available opportunity, while also giving the relevant authorities and members of staff as much time as possible to allow worked to be carried out for the game to go ahead.

“Unfortunately, due to sheer amount of snow and ice in the surrounding areas of Oakwell, the decision has been taken by the relevant authorities that the safety of the fans and general public would be in doubt.

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“The safety of our fans is paramount in situations like this.

“The pitch, which has been immaculately looked after by the ground staff, is believed playable and we would like to thank everybody who has worked tirelessly at the club to try and get the game to go ahead.

“We would like to apologise to the fans of Barnsley and Norwich for the inconvenience.”

The footwells in the stands were covered in snow yesterday morning and players were forced to train inside.

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The club was shut on Wednesday and Thursday due to safety concerns.

The Under-18s’ game against local rivals Sheffield United was called off.

The postponment robs new boss Joe Morais of the hance to build on a win and a draw in his last two games.